Death's Garden
by Shadow of the Forgotten Ones
Summary: Death is not kind but he is not unkind. He spends his time in the garden of souls. Picking them to hear their stories and give them a choice. Stay, leave, follow, return, it's all up to you


**AN: hopefully this version isn't as clunky or hard to read as the first on. Flower meanings will be on the bottom if you are curious.**

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He walks unseen, light footsteps on cracked ground, black eyes unseeing yet seeing. Long limbs stretch out, bone thin and white from a black robe. He smiles as he stops, tall body bending; he plucks a flower from the ground. The roots follow the bud as he straightens up and a ghostly visage appears. Death tilts his head as he takes in the ghost. In this world of black and whites and the shades in between the ghost is a startling spot of transparent color. From the dark green of his uniform to the blue of his eyes the ghost sticks out like a sore thumb.

"Speak," he commands. And the ghost speaks, the words come out like water from a faucet. When Death commands few have the will to deny him. It's freeing for the ghost to tell their life's story, their sins, and their virtues. Tom Ryan is the ghosts' name, he was a Captain of the SAS working on the Anomaly project. He died in the past killed by a Future Predator that he believes were brought to his time by a woman. Tom seems sad as he talks about the friends he left behind, about the beginnings he could have had but were taken from him. And for a moment Death almost pities him, he who saw his own bones before he knew they belonged to him. The SAS Captain smiles thinly.

"What happens now?" The question is soft. Tom is not a man used to waiting around, he was a soldier who had orders or gave them. And while the Project often left him reeling he could at least rely on his instincts.

Death spins the flower, a bruised white Daffodil- in his hands and Captain Ryan's eyes follow the spinning bud. In this realm, it's easy to fall pray to the rigidness, the stark contrasts, and fall into oblivion. It's easy to lose one's self in the hypnotizing swirls of the air. Death uses this to calm souls and get them to listen to him.

"You have many choices. Stay, leave, follow, return, it's all up to you," he says with an air of uncaringness. Captain Tom Ryan watches the twirling flower with rapt attention, thinking over his choices. The ghostly wound on his neck flicking in and out of focus.

"I haven't got all day," Death rasps in impatience, it's a lie. Time doesn't flow like a river as the man before him knows and here in Death's realm it goes or stops on his command. He has all the time in the world to talk to those he wishes. But he does not have the patience to just stand. Standing still reminds him that even _he_ can fall prey to his own home. The siren call of never having to worry again is a dream he doesn't dare dream just yet. The world is still young and it needs Death to stay balanced.

"I don't want to leave just yet… May I follow you?"

Death nods his head, the flower stops spinning, turning a pale gray in color and Death hands it to the Captain who tucks it in his pocket.

"I said you could, did I not? Perchance we will meet someone you know."

"Forgive me but I'd rather we not."

Death laughs, a clacking sound that echoes.

"All things come to Death and Death greets them always. You should know that Tom Ryan."

They walk, Death passing over flower after flower, most are glowing, others are oozing black puss and some are drooping but none are yet ready to be picked. They still have some fight, some Life, some hope in them. Tom tries to ask why but Death ignores him; it is not a mortal's place to know Death's mind or reasons, not when the consequences could be disastrous, until they reach a flower. A simple Anemone- What had the person who planted this flower done, which meaning did it mean?- Death plucks it with the grace he did Tom's and another ghostly figure appears. This one was once a handsome male but now he is bitten, scratched, destroyed, held together by pieces redder than any other color that stains the very air. His flower is a black void that oozes red pus which drips down the white bones of Death's hands. Tom knows this man and his heart breaks. A soft cry of pain escapes his lips as he takes in the unmoving form before him. Death raises his other hand it settles it on Tom Ryan's lower back. Supporting but also reminding him of his place.

"Speak," commands Death and the spirit speaks. Stephen Hart, TA to one Nick Cutter. He claims he is a betrayer, a cheater and he deserved a far worse death. Being killed by the motley collection of hunters that Helen, Nick's ex-wife, and Leek, the true betrayer, collected. He betrayed Nick, his best friend, and the rest of ARC. He stops, eyes widening when they land on Tom. The two ghosts approach each other, they had been fast friends in life and Tom tries to absolve Stephen of his perceived sins. The afterlife is no place for grudges but a place of redemption and forgiveness. Though some use it as a place to reconnect, to have a moment of time together. Death gives Stephen the same options as Tom and hesitantly the TA agrees to walk with them. His flower turns gray but still oozes red, he still blames himself for the things that happened. His wounds aren't healed and Death doubts they ever will be. Not unless the person or persons, he believes he has wronged grievously forgive him.

This time, the walk is shorter and the flower- an Iris- belongs to Nick Cutter. Stephen nearly howls in pain when Nick says that Helen killed him because she believed she was right and that by doing so she'd save the future. The three men and Death stand in silence as they grieve, for themselves, for those left behind and those to come. Tom always knew that Helen was a few cats short of a full bag but he never imagined that she'd kill Nick, the others sure but not Nick, never Nick as she was obsessed with him. As Death moves on they fear who will be plucked next. The Horseman stops in front of a bruised flower- a simple Daisy whose stem is bent- and considers it.

"Not yet… Though he will wish he was dead by the time the Anomaly opens again," Death speaks knowing that the three who had followed him like ducklings would wait here. Death can feel the pain, the desperation, the grief pouring from the flower so strong that even Death's little ducklings can feel it. He gives them a sad look. Their ghostly apparitions knowing without a doubt who that flower belongs to, it screams out their names and the names of others to save it. It screams of things it wishes would happen but never will. Their story would have been a great one if it had been allowed to be written. A story that would have changed their world. Beautiful and deep. But instead, they were ripped from the pages and left to rot. With popping and clicking Death bends and gives the flower a soft pat, black eyes sympathizing with it. There aren't many that reach him but when they do he takes extra time out of his day to check on them.

Death leaves them there, shrinking back down into the flowers they were, a defense mechanism against they very place they wish to stay in. He has many more souls to harvest, many more stories to hear and he has an appointment with a King who misses his Burglar. A burglar that choose a different path than death and will never meet him again.

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 **AN:**

 **Flower meanings-**

 **Daisy: Innocence, Loyal Love, I'll Never Tell, Purity, Innocence- I feel as if innocent is a great way to describe Connor, as time goes by he changes, of course, which means when he dies his flower will be different but for now it's a Daisy**

 **Daffodil: Unrequited Love, Your The Only One, Chivalry, Regard- Chivalry for Tom need I say more?**

 **Anemone: Forsaken, Refusal, Abandonment, Sincerity- This one is more how Stephen sees himself which is forsaken and he feels as if he abandoned the others by betraying them.**

 **Iris: Warmth of affection, Faith, Valor, Wisdom, Inspiration- Nick was hard but I feel like Faith and Wisdom** really **speak of what was Nick's core,**


End file.
